The Post Office

Does anyone remember the receptionist from the movie Monsters Inc? I think she works at my post office.

While we were in China, we bought 2 miniature (24") terra cotta warriors as souvenirs. We thought they would look great by our fireplace. Like the Chinese Emperor who commissioned the originals, we were sure these replicas would guard our humble home. Remember, we went to China in July, so as time passed we were starting to wonder if our purchase was ever really shipped to us. Low and behold, on Tuesday, we got a notice in our mail that our shipment was at the post office and ready for pickup. I knew before showing up at the post office that I would not only need the slip of paper but a formal form of identification like a passport or an identity card. When I showed up at the post office, my favorite postal employee was busy with a line of 2 people waiting to see her. She is one of 3 employees and a nice young girl who speaks English. We bonded during my whole drapery shipment drama when we first moved to Belgium. (If you don't know the story, let me just say the customs charge was 900 euros and this postal worker figured out a way for us to pay 0 Euros!!) The other two workers are ones I normally avoid. One is a man and is not very friendly. He is efficient and just wants me to finish my business fast and leave. The final employee is definitely the replica of the receptionist in Monsters Inc. and I am sure she does not like me. I was forced to go to her window because both the nice girl and the boring guy were very busy. Here is my transaction...

Me - Hi. I am here to pick up a package. Here is my mail notice.

Crabby Postal Worker (CPW for short) - Passport/ commune card Mevrouw (That is Mrs. in Flemish)

Me - (handing over both of the requested forms of identification)

CPW - This is not you Mevrouw (Apparently, when the post office typed my mail notice, they transposed the letters in my last name so it read Baisi instead of Biasi. Of course my official forms of identification have my name spelled correctly.)

Me - Oh, but that is me, they just mixed up the letters.

CPW - It must be official. I cannot give you the package Mevrouw.

Me - You know me. I am here all the time. This is me! Your office just mixed up the letters.

CPW - Your name does not match Mevrouw. (Then she leaned over to the worker with no personality. In Flemish, he told her to get the package from the back and have a look at the address label.)

Me - (nodding toward the boring man)Thank you!

CPW - (dragging the box that looked huge and obviously weighed a lot) The names do not match. I do not know what to do Mevrouw.

Me - Is my correct name on the original shipping label?

CPW - Yes Mevrouw

Me - That looks very official to me. It was shipped to my name spelled correctly and I have identification to match the spelling on the label from China. The only problem is that your post office mixed up the letters in my name on the pick up notice.

CPW - This is highly irregular Mevrouw.

(Then both of the other postal workers leaned into her cubical and said, at the same time and in Flemish, "Just give her the box!")

After a few scowls and a lot of official stamping of the date and time of pick up, I was out of there in a flash. I probably ruined her day because I forced her to bend her rules. The worst part of it all is that 2 days later I was at the grocery and saw her again. I waved and she actually waved back!